Silo



F. W. GROSS.

SILO.

APPLICATION FILED III/IY 22, 1919.

Patented I'y 25,1920.

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PATENT OFFICE.

FREDERICK W. GROSS, OF COLUMBUS, OHIO.

SILO.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented llay 25, 1920.

Application 'led May 22, 1919. Serial No. 298,960.

To U wlw/1t 'it 71mg/ concern.'

Be it known that FREDERICK 1V. Gnoss, a citizen oi' the United States,residing at Columbus, in the county oi Franklin and State of Ghio, hasinvented certain new and useful improvements in Silos, ot which theiollowing is a speciiication.

This invention relates to improvements in silos and has particularreference to an improved door construction for silos generally.

The object of the present invention is to provide a durable, inexpensiveand easily operated mounting for silo doors, said mounting being soconstructed that when the doors are positioned to close their respectiveopenings, said mountings may be employed to securely lock the doorsagainst movement, and when said doors are opened, said mountings serveto facilitate the opening operation by guiding the doors in their courseof travel to an open position and in sustaining said doors in saidlatter position.

Another object of the invention. resides in a door mounting of theaforesaid character, whereby when the doors occupy closed positions,said mountings may serve in the capacity of ladders.

lVith these and other objects in view, the invention accordinglyconsists in the novel features of construction, combination of elementsand arrangement of parts, hereinafter to be fully .described and havethe scope thereof pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawing:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary front elevation of a silo and illustrating theapplication of the door mounting comprising the present inventionthereto, said mounting being shown in the position of retaining a doorin a closed position.

Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view taken along the line2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional view, taken along the line 3-3 oi Fig.1 and illustrating the door member in a closed position.

Fig. 4 is a similar view, disclosing the door member in its openposition, and,

Fig. 5 is a detailed perspective view of the mounting per se.

Similar characters of reference denote like and corresponding partsthroughout the several views of the drawing.

Referring more particularly to the details oi the invention, as thelatter have been exemplified in the drawing, the numeral 1 designatestheouter wall of a so called staved tongue and grooved sections 2, thelatter being matched to form the circular contour of the silo. The silo1 in this instance is provided with vertical frame members or jambs 3,which extend parallel with vertically alined door openings 4 of the siloand said frame members 3 are spaced by means oi transverse sills 5,which in conjunction with the frame members serve to deine the severaldoor openings 4. Adapted to cover the openings 4 are a plurality of doormembers 6, which latter in the form disclosed in the drawings eachconsists of a back section 7 which is strengthened by means of spacedparallel bars 8 which are adapted to lie within the cooperative opening4 when the door member for said opening is in a closed position. Themargins of the sections are in this instance disposed to engage with therear surfaces of the frame members 3 or the sills 5, so that outwardmovement on part of the door members will be precluded.

To lock the door members in their closed positions, each oi' saidmembers is provided with a mounting 9 of improved construction. Themounting in this instance consists of a pair of twisted rod members 10for each of the doors 6, and said members are each formed to comprise astraight lower portion 11, a perpendicular end portion 12, a bearingportion 13 'disposed to lie parallel with the lower portion 11, anoffset handle extremity 14 and a second bearing portion 15, disposed inalinement with the portion 13. Said bearing portions 13 and 15 areslidably mounted for horizontal movement within bearings 16 rigidlymounted upon the bars 8, and the lower portion 1() has its freeextremity slidably mounted within xed'bearings 17 provided upon one ofthe frame members 3.

In operation, when it is desired to close the door member 6 and toretain the same in suchposition, the members 10 are reciprocated to theleft, so that their end portions l2 will overlie the frame member 3opposite to the frame member upon which the bearings 17 are provided.W'hen thus positioned, the rod members 10 will prevent inward movementon part of the doors 6 so that the latter will be securely retained intheir active positions. It will be observed in this connection that theopposite ends of the rod members l overlap the respective frame members3, thus effectively preventinginward movementjon partvof the doors. Uienthus positioned, the handle extremities la' of said rod members projecthorizontally outward, and by being thus formed, the' same may serve inthe capacity of a ladder, thus enabling an operator to gain access toall parts of the silo l. To move the door to an open orV inactiveposition, the rodV members are recipi'ocated bodily in the direction `ofthe arrow B so that their end portions l2 will be freed from engagementwith the associated frame member 3. Then by forcing the door member 6inwardly, the lower' portions of the rod members l0 will be permitted torevolve in their bearings 17' i so that the door 6 will drop to a'slighteX Vtent, this extent being governed by the engagement of theextremities 14k with the outerface of the door. When in this position,said door member will lie within the interior of the silo wherebycontinued pressure in the Vdirection of the arrow B will cause said rodmembersV and their associated door 6 to slide to a positioncompletelyclear infr the door opening l whereby free and unobstructedaccess to the latter maybe Vobtained. It will thus be apparent that thesilo mounting comprising the present inven-y tion is of a relativelysimple nature, capable of beingapplied to silo doors now in use Y and isreliable and efficient in operation.

Tififhen closed, vthe door members G will be firmly supported againstmovement by the coperation existing between the rod meinbei's 10 and theframe members 3, and when so positioned, saidl mounting may be effecitively used in the capacity of a ladder.

lI'heii, to opentlie door,'the latter `may be released by merely slidingthe members l0 a Vlimited distance to free their locking portions l2from engagement with the adjacent frame 3.` This permits the door memberto .ed to be fitted within said doorway, a mounting for said doorcomprising apair of slid-l s ablysupported elements, said elementsincluding lower portions yhaving the free ends thereof slidably mountedin bearings Vcarried by the frame of said doorway, upper por-` tionsformed with. said elements and dis-Y posed to lie parallel with saidlower portions, said upper portions beingrslidably mounted withinbearings carriedy by said door, and end portions formed with saidelements and disposed to connect said upper and lower portions, wherebywhen said door occupies a closed position, said end portions may bereciprocated to lock the door against inward movement. i

Q.Inra silo, a door frame formed in said silo and having door openingsformed-therein, a plurality of door members capable of occupying saidopenings, a mounting for said door members comprising foreach doormember a pair of rod elements, said elements including lower extremitiesslidably mountw ed within bearings carried by said frame, Vanupper-portion slidably mounted in bearings Vcarried-,by said doormember, and a connecting portion capable of overlapping said door frametoV maintain the door member in a closed position and .a handle formedupon the upper portion of each Aof said elements.

f In testimony whereof I afX my Signature.

FREDERICK W. GROSS.V

